Meet the Founder: Laura of For Love of the Moon

For Love of the Moon is an independent vintage boutique based in the south of France, combining Laura’s carefully curated vintage finds with an in-house label of romantic, vintage-inspired pieces. Each piece from the label is designed and sewn by Laura and her partner in their small studio near Bordeaux.

From vintage collector to designer

Originally from the US, Laura has spent the past decade living in Europe. In 2016, she moved to southern Italy and began working full-time on her vintage curation.

The local markets soon became more than a place to find clothing.

“I would get distracted by the abundance of fabrics on the tables between the clothing.”

As vintage markets became increasingly mixed with fast fashion, Laura found herself drawn towards the materials instead: old embroidery, crochet, lace and textiles whose quality had survived decades.

She had learned to sew as a teenager but drifted away from it while living in New York in her twenties. Surrounded by vintage fabrics in Italy, she found her way back.

“I began creating what I wasn’t finding in the vintage world anymore.”

That idea became the foundation for the For Love of the Moon label.

Feminine & laid back

Laura describes her style simply as “feminine and laid back.”

There is a sense of nostalgia throughout her work, but rather than reproducing the past, she uses it as a starting point. Vintage materials, family photographs and memories are translated into pieces intended to be worn now.

Some of her strongest references come from particularly close to home.

“Memories of my mother and grandmother’s wardrobes continue to inspire me. Specific outfits pop up in a photograph and I’ll think, ‘Oh yes, I want that dress, too!’”

Her grandmother, she says, had exquisite taste. Pieces from both women’s wardrobes remain part of Laura’s own collection and continue to influence her designs.

A dress with a story

Of everything Laura has created, one of her earliest dresses remains the most meaningful.

When she was beginning to experiment with vintage fabrics, she made a dress from crochet lace. Her sister asked if she could wear it for her wedding.

At the time, Laura’s sister was terminally ill.

“She was the happiest I’d ever seen her that day and it was all overwhelming — so much joy and pain mixed together.”

The dress became much more than an early design. It holds some of Laura’s final memories of her sister at her happiest, giving the piece a significance that could never be recreated.

It is also a powerful reflection of what clothing can become: not simply something we wear, but something that carries people, places and memories with it.

A new chapter in France

Last year brought another move, this time to France, where Laura now has a small atelier for designing, sewing and curating her collections.

The next evolution of For Love of the Moon is already underway.

Laura and her partner have begun developing their own textiles, allowing them to create exclusive patterns, colours and textures specifically for future collections.

At the same time, Laura is working towards SS27, with new romantic designs that have been developing in her mind for years. The goal is to gradually increase production without losing the intimacy and character that define the label.

“I’d like to reach more customers and shops worldwide.”

And when she isn't surrounded by vintage clothing and fabric? Laura is learning French and working on another long-term creative project: finishing a book.

For a brand built around rediscovering stories and giving them new life, that somehow feels fitting.

Discover For Love of the Moon on Himassa and follow Laura at @forloveofthemoon for new vintage finds, upcoming collections and life inside the atelier.